That Summer Feeling
by rokkasen
Summary: Prank wars, bug juice, tetherball, and ghost stories - summer camp is all fun and games until you fall in love for the first time. [SoMa, Camp AU, for Reverb 2015]
1. Chapter 1

**Summary** : Prank wars, bug juice, tetherball, and ghost stories - summer camp is all fun and games until you fall in love for the first time.

 **AN** : Here we go, Camp AU for Reverb 2015! Art for this story can be found on internetfeet's tumblr- definitely check it out! Special thanks to ilana, ProMa, Kat, Julie, Bendy, Ness, and Amanda for betaing, commenting, and forcing me to finish.

 _That Summer Feeling_

 **Chapter 1**

June 29th was circled repeatedly on Maka Albarn's calendar, marked with a little gold skull sticker and the words ARRIVE AT CAMP written in metallic pen underneath.

She was packed and ready to go the day school ended. Five years at DWMA Summer Camp and Maka still got so excited that she could barely sleep between the day school closed and the day Spirit would drive her upstate to her home away from home. This year was especially exciting, as Maka was finally sixteen going on seventeen - young enough not to have the boring responsibilities the counselors had, but old enough that her group would be awarded privileges not given to younger campers. Adult supervision would be minimal. And, best of all, she would get ample alone time to study her SAT prep flashcards and read her smutty romance novels in peace.

Even though Maka enjoyed school, liked her friends, and sometimes even sort of appreciated her philandering father who flirted with all the mothers at the PTA meetings, there was just something special about the people at camp. Her summer friends were so different from one another - she'd never seen a group of people more diverse in terms of background, hobbies, and disposition - and without camp, they would have probably never found each other. It hardly mattered at all, however, because even though they barely contacted one another in the off months other than the occasional birthday card, as soon as they were together again, it was as if no time had passed at all.

Camp was sort of magical that way. Maka loved it.

The short drive was uneventful and completely predictable. As every other summer, Spirit lamented being forced to to say goodbye to his "sweet baby angel." Loudly. He cried messily the entire ride up, nearly crashing the car twice as he sobbed that he would be Maka-less for two months. Spirit went through every stage of mourning - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally, acceptance - in the span of the two hour trip. There was less melodrama at her grandmother's funeral when her cousin took a hysterical head dive into the freshly dug grave and begged to be taken instead. Maka would have honestly welcomed a moose walking right into their car if it would stop his whining.

But all of her negative feelings immediately evaporated in a puff smoke as soon as the familiar wooden arch appeared in her line of vision, _DWMA_ sprawled across the oak in archaic, curvy letters. Even with its lack of technology, bare bones cabins, mutant mosquitos, and a forest that potentially housed a serial killer with a rusty hook for a hand, Maka wouldn't want to spend her summers anywhere else.

She was _home_.

Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, camp mother and all around good-natured, sweet, even-tempered girl, was the first to greet Maka at the gates. She was still as tall and beautiful as Maka remembered, all strong limbs, curvy figure, and gentle, comforting smiles. Tsubaki had started camp with Maka back when they were pre-teens, and even though Tsubaki lived three hours away in the off season, she was one of the few people Maka managed to keep in touch with during the winter months. Texts and emails and silly snapchats were not nearly as good as being face to face, Maka thought, and as Tsubaki enthusiastically waved down the car, Maka unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped right into the taller girl's arms.

"Tsubaki! I missed you so much!" Maka cried as her good friend lifted her off the ground in a bear hug. She smelled like suntan lotion and a subtle, flowery perfume that was just so Tsubaki-ish, it made Maka's heart ache. "When did you get here?"

Tsubaki held Maka like small child, putting her down so they could walk back to the car to retrieve Maka's bags. "Only about an hour ago. I've missed you, too. It's been much too long."

Spirit dragged Maka's luggage out of the car as Maka and Tsubaki caught up. He offered to help her to her cabin but Maka waved him off, trying to ignore the pathetic way his face crumpled. She appeased him with a small cheek kiss and a hug (which prompted another crying fit), and said her goodbyes. Tsubaki carried Maka's heavy backpack and Maka wheeled her luggage over the familiar, rocky paths that led to Cabin 42.

"Any new girls in the cabin?" Maka asked.

"No, not this year. We've got Blair as a counselor, though," Tsubaki said.

"Ah, which means it'll be like having no counselor at all. Perfect," Maka laughed. Blair was fun and pretty and exciting but it was no secret that she spent most of her summer tanning in a string bikini or hooking up with anyone attractive and wealthy within a hundred mile radius of camp. "Boys?"

Like summoning Candyman or something equally as terrifying, Maka had no sooner uttered the _b-word_ before she felt herself being picked up from behind in a rib crushing embrace. She didn't have to crane her head back to know what it was behind her (the overabundance of Axe body spray and killer biceps were a dead giveaway) and try as she might, wiggling out of his embrace was impossible.

"Yo!"

"Black*Star, put me down right now or I swear -" Maka attempted to elbow him in the stomach but Black*Star just laughed obnoxiously. Blake "Black*Star" Barrett had been a childhood friend and general pain in the ass since she was young. She might be tempted to sell him to the next passerby on the street for a dollar, but deep down, Maka adored him.

In small doses.

He finally put her down and Maka whirled around to lecture him. There he was in all of his Black*Star glory - shock of blue hair, butchered camp t-shirt, and basketball shorts - grinning at her widely. It was hard to stay annoyed with him. "I was just sayin' hi. Calm your tiny tits, Albarn."

Maka immediately slapped Black*Stat upside the head. She heard a small chuckle behind him and stopped attacking Black*Star to get a closer look at the person who was enjoying Black*Star's suffering. His face was new around these parts, and, after a cursory glance, Maka knew he wouldn't last very long. Everything about him from his slightly awkward posture to his perfectly styled hair (held back by a headband) to the tips of his stupidly expensive looking sneakers screamed _rich kid_. Maka gave it a week before Mr. Fancy Headband decided to go home back to his mansion, privacy, and air conditioning.

"Black*Star, I can't believe you already cut the sleeves off of your camp shirts," Maka said derisively, lightly punching him in the arm for good measure.

"Sun's out, guns out." Black*Star shrugged and the white haired boy snorted. "I don't make the rules, Maka."

Tsubaki giggled and Maka glared at her for encouraging Black*Star's, well, _Black*Star-ness_. Maka silently prayed to the camp gods that this would not be the summer that Black*Star realized that Tsubaki was painfully in love with him. She didn't think she could stomach watching them hold hands or worse - make out. Maka felt the bile rise in her throat just imaging it. "Don't listen to anything this guy says," Maka said to the mystery boy. "He's an idiot."

"I know," he replied, and Maka was surprised and oddly intrigued by how deep his voice was.

" _Hey_! Come on, dude. Bros before -"

"Don't you even think about finishing that sentence," Maka growled.

Black*Star folded his arms across his chest, sighing deeply. "No respect. Anyway, meet my newest minion, Soul Evans. Fresh meat."

"Hey," Soul Evans said, shifting uncomfortably. He had his hands buried deep in his pockets, and even though his facial expression was somewhere between bored and _too cool for school_ , Maka could see the anxiety in his body language. It was never fun to be the new kid. Even though Maka tried to stay away from boys as a general rule (too annoying, too loud, too messy, too untrustworthy), it couldn't hurt to extend the hand of friendship.

Maka flashed her best smile. "I'm Maka and this is Tsubaki. We've been coming here for years so if there's anything you don't know, you can ask either of us. Right, Tsubaki?"

"Of course!"

Soul's expression relaxed slightly and Maka took that as a cue to continue. "Don't ever use the bathroom by the tennis courts, stay away from any and all meatloaf in the mess hall, and of course, never go into the woods at night." Tsubaki nodded sagely. "There's a serial killer who roams around at night, you know."

Soul rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. Sure." He craned his head to give Black*Star a dirty look. "Why didn't you tell me about any of this stuff, man?"

Black*Star threw his arm around his new friend. "Experiencing it firsthand is half the fun, dude! Camp's not exciting if you don't blow chunks or flood the toilet once or twice."

He dragged a very uncertain Soul off, whose face was alternating between white and green at the mention of vomiting and drowning in sewage by the tennis courts.

Maka gave it five days before Richie Rich called his butler to come retrieve him.

* * *

Maka was a morning person - six am jogs before morning lacrosse practice were her jam - but shuffling out of bed before dawn to help set up for first day orientation (a favor for Mira, one of the camp directors, who was still waiting on the new counselors to arrive) was taking its toll on her.

She had made the mistake of staying up all night to gossip with all the girls in her cabin. Liz and Kim had spent four, very brutal, very long hours discussing which boys were datable (new kid, Soul, because nice hair and nicer butt) and undateable (Black*Star, because how lame was that nickname and the stupid little wingding he used in his signature?). Maka was forced to hear about their numerous boyfriends, girlfriends, fluffy romances and backseat hookups until she cried uncle and passed out just as Kim was explaining the ins and outs of oral sex with girls. In graphic detail.

Poor Jackie, Maka thought as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Having Kim as a girlfriend was truly a full time job and then some.

Maka yawned as she threw some jump ropes near the play area for the younger kids and meandered towards the mess hall for some breakfast. She hoped that she could talk one of the older counselors - Marie, maybe, because she was a soft touch - into letting her have some of their coffee. Maka was pretty sure if she gave her body over to science for experimentation, Stein, the very odd but lovable doctor on the premises, would give her whatever she wanted.

The staff was cleaning up just as Maka rolled in and she almost cried as the eggs and bacon were carried away. All that was left were semi-stale pastries and soggy fruit, neither of which seemed particularly appetizing. Her stomach rumbled ominously; was this the thanks she got for being a nice person? She looked over to the table where the girls in her cabin were sitting. Of course none of her friends had saved her anything to eat. That would have been much too decent of them. And Black*Star was no help, as usual; he was currently shoving an entire pound of bacon into his mouth, leaving nothing behind except the plate.

Jerks. The whole lot of them.

She reached for the last blueberry muffin in the basket but was intercepted by another hand blocking her from her prize. Maka narrowed her eyes at Soul Evans, who looked slightly worse for wear than she did. From the looks of the bags under his eyes, he was not a morning person.

"Do you mind?" Maka asked tersely. "That's my muffin."

Soul squinted at her and held onto the muffin like a lifeline. "No, it's not."

Maka clenched her jaw. She was going to eat this muffin even if she had to gnaw through his hand to get there. "I have seniority. It's my muffin."

"Like hell it is! I got here first!"

She could not believe the nerve, the gall of this guy! He clearly had slept in - spoiled brat that he was- - while she had been up all morning doing honest, hard work! Maka couldn't explain why he was getting under her skin so much. Maybe because he looked like he hadn't done a single day of physical labor in his life. Maybe it was because she couldn't stop thinking about Liz and Kim's discussion of his cute butt. Whatever it was, out of principle, Maka was not handing the muffin over to him. Over her dead body would he get to indulge in her stale blueberry treat. "Too bad." Maka swiped it out of his hand and then licked it. "Now it's mine."

Not her finest or most mature moment, she would admit, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Soul openly gaped at her. "You - you -"

"Dude." Black*Star slung his arm around Soul and leaned on him heavily. "Are you just going to let her get away with that?"

"Shut up, Black*Star," they said in unison and then glared at each other.

Soul grimaced. "You licked the muffin. What is _wrong_ with you?"

Maka only munched on _her_ breakfast, making sure to eat it with extreme pleasure. Victory tasted delicious.

"She's challenging you, man. You know, fucking… natural selection! She's marking her territory. And mitochondria, can't forget that. Yeah. Now, I'm the strongest, so you two can battle it out for second strongest," Black*Star said. He wiggled his fingers at them. "I don't make the rules. We've gotta respect Mother Nature and God and shit, so you two have to battle it out. First blood loses."

Maka rolled her eyes. "Well, boys, this has been fun and I'd love to explain why everything Black*Star said about biology and evolution is completely wrong, but I'm off to volleyball. Later."

Black*Star cackled and Soul looked like he wished he could be anywhere except right here, muffin-less, with Black*Star breathing all over him. "This means war, Albarn!"

She only scoffed. "Bring it."

* * *

Campers started feuds over nothing and everything because that was just what happened when three hundred pubescent teenagers were stuck together in tiny cabins all summer with little adult supervision. Teen dramas and unresolved sexual tension had primed them for trouble and no one, not even someone as serious as Maka, was immune. Last year there had been a fierce battle over who stole Liz's hairbrush (Patti was the culprit and Liz broke down in sobs as she hugged her sister; she could never be mad at her for long). The year before there was an all out war as everyone had to come to terms with Kim and Ox's breakup - then subsequent reconciliation - then breaking up again - on and on until the boys and girls lost interest.

This year was the Muffingate Scandal of 2k15 and Maka shouldn't have been surprised, especially because it was instigated by Black*Star, who was arguably the most immature and ridiculous of all the boys, but even she couldn't believe that one stolen muffin had turned into such a blood bath.

Maka, Patti, and Liz had been walking back from volleyball when they spotted it:

Bras. A lot of bras.

 _Their bras._

Their bras, hanging from the flagpole, waving in the wind like colorful little flags. Maka's mouth immediately dropped open and she turned bright red, stuttering indignantly. Not only had someone infiltrated their cabin to steal said bras, but her tiny, A-cup bra with its cute strawberry pattern was next to Patti and Liz's much fuller, grown up, lacy bras. It filled her with intense shame. Not, Maka thought, that she disliked her body. It was more that teenage boys were terrible and teasing was a thing that happened often and she did _not_ appreciate their unnecessary, unsolicited opinions on her breasts.

Shame soon gave way to _pure, unadulterated, homicidal rage_.

Patti and Liz were still gaping at the flagpole. Liz couldn't believe that someone had both the gall and the talent to steal from the infamous Demon Sisters of Brooklyn, who used to make ends meet by stealing from the rich and giving to themselves like modern day self-serving Robin Hoods. Patti eventually broke off into giggles because it looked so _silly_ but was also arguably more fun than the usual flag that hung there. Coincidentally, her sister's bra was sporting red, white, and blue rhinestones in the form of the American flag, and she saluted it, screaming, "GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

Maka took off into a run, making a beeline for boys' tennis. She was fueled by adrenaline and fire and her anger could only be quelled by sinking her fist right into Black*Star's smug face. How dare he infiltrate the sacred barrier of the girls' cabin? How dare he touch her underwear? Now she would have to burn them all and start over from scratch. Maka mourned the loss of cute underwear; RIP, cotton boyshorts and bikini briefs, your sacrifice will not have been in vain.

It took the combined efforts of Kilik, Harvar, _and_ Ox to hold her back from launching herself at a cackling, unrepentant Black*Star. "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" Maka shrieked.

"Nice training bra," Black*Star snickered. Soul tried to hide his own laughter with a cough, but he completely sobered up when Maka turned her furious glare on him. He had a hand in this, Maka was sure of it. How immature was he to hold a grudge over a breakfast pastry? This is why she hated boys. "I think my little sister has the same one!"

"IT'S A LEGITIMATE BRA, YOU UNCULTURED NEANDERTHAL!" Kilik winced as Maka screamed right in his ear. "DEAD. YOU ARE _DEAD_!"

Black*Star continued to laugh riotously, so proud of himself for his "ingenious" and not very original prank. The other boys were trying - and failing - not to smile. How dare they? _How dare they embarrass her like this_? Maka could not just let this stand. Her pride would not allow it. They were all accomplices, she decided, and thus were the enemies.

She stomped on Harvar's foot and elbowed Kilik in the stomach for good measure. Kilik let her go, gasping for air, and the other boys backed off, afraid to be in Maka's direct line of sight. Maka got right up in Black*Star's face and barely resisted the urge to headbutt him. "You want a war? You got one."

Now it was _personal_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Maka might have been a mature and logical individual, and Black*Star might have been one of her best friends, but she was also excessively competitive and had an extreme thirst for blood and revenge that could have landed her a starring role on _Game of Thrones._

Even with a cooler head and an impromptu counseling session with Tsubaki, who was a saint for putting up with all of these shenanigans, Maka wanted - no, _needed_ \- to get Black*Star and the other boys back. She was not about to show weakness and take this abuse lying down. An eye for an eye, as they say, and if the whole world had to go blind with her, then so be it.

She, Kim, Liz, and Patti - arguably the most devious of their group and definitely the biggest thrill seekers - snuck out of their cabin before sunrise and ninja'd their way into the boys' showers, packs of stolen Kool Aid stuffed under their shirts. Everyone, including the maintenance staff, was still asleep, so there was little chance of them getting caught. Not that Maka was thinking consequences. She tended to act first and think later and all she could think right now was _revengerevengerevenge._

There was beauty in simplicity, Maka thought as she climbed on Liz's shoulders and poured the red powder into the flimsy shower heads. Patti giggled and Kim shushed her but it was contagious. They all choked back their laughter and snorts as they worked, each imagining the looks on the boys faces when they showered in hot Rock-A-Dile red punch.

And, truly, there was nothing worse than being sticky, sweet, and brightly colored in the summer when mosquitoes were at their most vicious. Maka chuckled to herself. Maybe now Black*Star would think twice about touching her underthings. Maybe now Soul Evans would learn his place and that she was not one to be trifled with.

Too bad all of the other boys had to suffer along with them.

Casualties of war, Liz had said with a shrug and a nefarious laugh, and Maka was inclined to agree. They finished the dirty deed and scampered back to their cabins before anyone woke. Highfives and hugs were shared as they snuck back into bed, giggles pressed into pillows. Maka peeked over at Blair to see if she had noticed them creeping in and their beautiful counselor was thankfully passed out behind her curtained bed and snoring from a wild night of partying. Smiling to herself, Maka fell back to sleep, dreams of Sugar Red Black*Stars dancing in her head.

She was coming back from yoga some hours later when she heard blood curdling screams coming from the boys' showers. Maka smiled to herself, tucked her mat under her arm, and happily meandered over to the commotion. Her mouth dropped open as one Soul Evans ran out, swathed only in a towel (she was definitely not staring at his body, because that would be gross and wrong and she didn't even like him, like, _at all_ ), and screaming as droplets of red liquid bled onto his once white towel.

"WHAT. THE. FUCK?"

The best part - the icing on the cake, really - was that his pristine white hair was now a very adorable shade of baby pink.

"Wow, what happened?" Maka asked innocently. "You smell like fruit punch."

Soul narrowed his eyes at her as Black*Star's dangerous, loud cackle echoed through the shower room. "Dude," Kilik's voice said quietly. "Why are you still showering?"

"BATHING IN THE BLOOD OF MY ENEMIES IS MY FAVORITE PASTIME! HAHAHAHA!"

Soul growled, trying to rub the pink from his hair. A group of younger girls giggled and pointed as they walked by, either at Soul in a towel or with pink hair or possibly both. Maka felt placated that all of the boys were annoyed and embarrassed - exactly how it felt when her bra was hanging from the flagpole for the world to see.

"Love the hair," Maka smirked. "Maybe you should consider keeping it. It's a good look for you."

Someone once said that revenge is a dish best served cold but personally? Maka thought it was a dish best served hot. Preferably tasting like Rock-A-Dile punch.

* * *

The tension between the boys and girls cabins finally came to a head in the form of Black*Star throwing mashed potatoes at Jackie's face.

He had been aiming for Maka - revenge, of course, for the Kool Aid in the showers and the plethora of mosquito bites that followed - but ten years of martial arts training had served her well; she dodged the runny potatoes just in time but unfortunately, sweet, innocent Jackie had become yet another casualty in this prank war. She shrieked and furiously wiped her face as the rest of the cabin scrambled for napkins to clean her beautiful black hair.

Kim, enraged that someone had dared to do such a thing to _her_ girlfriend, screamed that Black*Star was a "tiny dick loser" and immediately vaulted a piece of apple pie at him. It splattered against Harvar's expensive Louis Vuitton scarf and all hell broke loose.

Food flew at a furious pace. Everyone, even the quietest of campers, got in on the action. Liz sported some very unattractive mac and cheese in her hair while Kilik slapped Black*Star right in the face with rolled up bologna. Pudding painted the walls and lasagna dripped off camp shirts by the dozen. It was utter and complete chaos until Sid Barrett - counselor and ex-Marine drill sergeant - stomped in and blew his whistle, literally stopping everyone in their tracks. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. A piece of gooey chocolate cake that had been vaulted from somewhere near the back sailed through the air in a perfect, beautiful arch and hit him _right_ between the eyes. Sid looked around the mess hall - truly a mess in name and spirit- and everyone held their breaths.

Sid Barrett did not fuck around. He was nice and he was fun, but if you stepped a toe out of line, it was obstacle courses and cleaning toilets until the offender was old enough to collect Social Security.

"Evans and Albarn. You're in charge of clean-up," Sid finally said, wiping the cake from his face with a grimace. "This cake is disgusting. What the hell are they feeding you?"

Maka stood up indignantly. Soul stuck his head out from under the table where he was hiding. _Coward_ , Maka thought. Probably worried he was going to mess up his designer jeans. "What?! But we didn't -"

"That's an order. Everyone else get out. We're running laps. A _lot_ of laps."

Black*Star snickered and Sid glared at him. "You'll be scrubbing toilets. With a toothbrush."

"Awwww, man. Not again!"

Maka and Soul stood there in shock, looking around the mess hall slowly before looking at each other as the campers filed out. It was all so unfair. Why was her life falling apart like this? Maka was a nice girl. She did her homework, volunteered, and was kind to animals. But ever since she had crossed paths with Soul Evans, everything had gone completely to shit.

Maybe she was being a little dramatic, but this was cutting into her study time, and if she didn't get into Princeton on a full scholarship because of Black*Star and his little lackey, heads were gonna roll.

"The faster we do this, the faster we get to leave." Maka decided to take charge because that was what she did and clearly Soul was out of his element. She retrieved mops and buckets from the janitor's closet and threw one at him. "No complaints."

Soul barely caught the mop, fumbling with it for a moment before gripping it tightly. "I don't get -"

"No complaints! More mopping, less talking."

He grumbled under his breath - something sounding suspiciously like _neat freak_ \- but dipped his mop into the bucket of soapy water. They worked in silence for a few unbearable moments before Soul spoke again. "You know I had nothing to do with that dumb ass bra prank, right?"

Maka looked up from where she was wiping down a wooden bench. "What? Don't lie!"

Soul scowled. "Why the hell would I sneak into the girl's cabin to steal _underwear_? And then put it on a flagpole? That's gross, uncool, and I'm pretty sure illegal." He leaned on the mop. "Also, have you met Liz and Patti? Do you think I want to be on the receiving end of their anger? Black*Star said they used to be in a gang."

"No, that's a rumor," Maka said thoughtfully. "They weren't in a gang. They committed crimes on their own."

"Because that's _much_ better," Soul said dryly.

Maka tossed her rag away, leaning against the wall next to Soul. She tried to size him up, letting her eyes rake over him. He looked a little worse for wear - bags under his eyes, mosquito bites down his legs, ungelled hair sticking up in the back. Maybe he was telling the truth about handling her underwear but maybe not. She would reserve judgement. "Bras aside, why did you decide to come to camp? No offense but you don't really seem like the type."

He shrugged. "It was either this or music camp. I'd literally rather get eaten by a bear than be surrounded by pretentious asshole musicians all summer."

"You play an instrument?" Maka asked. She put all her money on guitar or drums.

"Piano. Kind of," Soul said uncomfortably. "I used to."

"'Used to'? So you don't -"

Soul gave her a look. "Has anyone told you that you're really nosy?"

Maka snapped her mouth closed. "... yes," she admitted. "But I'm just trying to make conversation!"

"Why?" he shot back. "Don't you hate boys?"

"Who told you that?"

Soul rolled his eyes. "Every guy at camp says that. Pretty hard not to draw that conclusion considering you decked that blond CIT for trying to put his arm around you during movie night."

Maka blushed but remained indignant. "I was just surprised, okay?"

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it," Soul laughed and Maka found herself smiling, too. "It was pretty cool actually. He's sort of a douche with awful fashion sense."

She didn't need Soul's validation but it did feel pretty nice to have someone on her side. All of the girls in the cabin thought she had overreacted and had insisted, _Maka, give boys a chance! You've never even been kissed_. Maka couldn't help that she was picky when it came to who was allowed to put their arms around her! "Speaking of dumb boys, this whole prank war is getting out of hand. Someone needs to put Black*Star on a leash," Maka sighed.

"All of this over a muffin," Soul said. "He needs more hobbies."

"The muffin wasn't even that good," Maka admitted. "Sorry I took it."

"Whatever." Soul waved his hand. "Not a big deal."

Maybe she hadn't given Soul Evans enough credit, Maka thought. He was certainly a lot more mature than most of the other boys at camp. Maybe even a little cool. Someone she definitely wanted to be better friends with. Maka ignored that little voice in her head that said he was also really cute and had a butterfly-inducing smile because she was just not ready to deal with that.

Soul took a step towards her and Maka watched, almost as if in slow motion, as he slipped on some fallen mashed potatoes. She held her arms out instinctively and caught him just as he was falling backwards. They stood there, frozen, staring at each other in shock as Soul laid in her arms like a heroine on the front of one of her grocery store smutty romance novels.

"Maka, Soul!" Marie trilled as she strolled into the dining hall, an extra broom in hand. "I came by to see how you were - _oh_!"

Maka immediately dropped Soul and he hit the ground with a loud thump.

"Hey!" he yelped. "That hurt!"

"Oh dear," Marie said. "Should we take him to the infirmary?"

No, Maka thought as she helped Soul up, but she clearly needed a doctor, because this boy was going to give her a heart attack.

* * *

After the mess hall incident, the tension between Maka and Soul shifted from "I hate your face" to "I think I enjoy your face but have to keep it a secret because I have a rep to protect". Whenever their friends weren't looking, they managed to have deep conversations about life and the future, the uncertainty of tomorrow, the day after, next year. Soul wasn't sure if he wanted to be a musician like his parents. Maka was afraid of disappointing her mother.

They also had more shallow, fun conversations about Maka's terrible taste in music and Soul's penchant for orange pants.

Soul was a lot more than just a boring, broody rich boy that Maka had initially pegged him as. He hardly had anything handed to him on a silver platter. He wasn't Black*Star's lackey or someone who went along with the crowd. He was independent and interesting and had a really cute smile that gave Maka stereotypical, nauseating stomach flutters.

Maka had plans for her life - graduate high school as valedictorian, go to college, get a good job - and boys were never part of the equation. Her mother had always told her not to bother with them, that they were all no good liars who got in the way of ambition, and she had always taken her mother's word for it. Now Maka wasn't so sure.

It wasn't like she wanted to marry Soul, Maka thought as she stretched her arms over her head. She was just testing out the waters a little. Having new experiences so that she would be a well rounded individual.

She snorted to herself. It wasn't like she could put "Kiss Soul Evans" on her resume.

Her eyes strayed to the baseball field and Maka chuckled at how predictable she was. She was always looking for him, watching him, and Maka scolded herself for being such a creeper. She was so pathetically obvious in her crush. She knew that she wasn't the type of girl that boys had crushes on, why was she even bothering? She was too skinny, too serious, nothing like Tsubaki or Liz or Kim, each of whom had droves of boys clamoring to get their attention. It was silly to get her hopes up, but here she was, watching the boys play baseball instead of getting ready for girls kickball.

She had only looked away for a moment to help find a bandaid for Liz, who was screaming bloody murder after breaking her nail getting the equipment, when she heard a loud bang and the panicked voices of the boys on the baseball field. Maka turned to find Soul on the ground, clutching his ankle, with the boys in his cabin gathered around uselessly. Without thinking about it, Maka sprinted over.

"What happened?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Just twisted my ankle. It's not a big deal," Soul said through clenched teeth. "I'll walk it off."

"You can't! It's already swelling up! You need to ice it right away!" Maka argued. She looked around at the boys, who were shrugging because _walking it off_ sounded like a solid, legitimate plan. "You're all completely incompetent, I swear!" Maka knelt down on the ground. "Come on, I'll take you to the infirmary."

Soul stared at her weirdly. "What are you doing?"

"Get on my back."

"Not a snowball's chance in hell."

Maka rolled her eyes and stuck her hands under his knees and started lifting, forcing him to throw his arms around her shoulders to keep from falling off. She tried to ignore the way that Soul was screaming in her ear and the way that some of the boys snickered at the ridiculous sight of Maka giving Soul a piggyback ride and the smooching noises someone was making because they were clearly sooooo in love, but they could all just bite her. This was a medical emergency! Soul's leg could be broken! Stupid boys.

He wasn't very heavy, Maka thought, but then again she was no ordinary girl. Thank you, years of martial arts, lacrosse, and field hockey, for giving her some seriously impressive biceps and abs.

"No, no, no, no, let me down! This looks so uncool," Soul mourned.

Maka ignored him and journeyed onwards to Mira and Stein's office, intent on making sure Soul's leg would be taken care of before the boys came up with some stupid, dangerous catapult system to get Soul to the medical cabin. Campers and counselors all stopped to stare at them, some waving, others looking on admiringly because "Maka is soooo cool, I want to be just like her!" Soul grumbled and tried to hide his face, but eventually all the whining died down and he quietly thanked her as they felt the air conditioning of the medical office on their faces.

"Huh, looks like Mira and Dr. Stein are out." Maka carefully set Soul down on the bed. "Probably getting lunch. I'll get you some ice in the meantime. Elevate that ankle, okay?"

Soul laid back against the pillows, watching as Maka wrapped some ice in a compress. He winced as he gingerly peeled his sneaker off his injured foot. "You do this a lot?"

"Mmmm, kind of. It comes with the territory of being an athlete," Maka gently pressed the covered ice to his ankle and he hissed, eventually relaxing under Maka's ministrations. "Alright, it's okay. This will help. I don't think it's broken but we'll have to wait for a professional opinion."

She sat down on the bed next to him, leaning back on her hands. Her fingers were centimeters from his - nice, long, pretty, unblemished fingers - and it wouldn't have taken much to "accidentally" brush them. Maka wondered where that ridiculous impulse came from. Soul was injured and someone could walk in any second; she shouldn't have been having goopy, girlish daydreams of holding hands after she nursed him back to health.

A cool hand rested over hers and Maka's heart jumped in her throat. She wasn't brave enough to look back at him, though she wondered what kind of expression he was making. Blushing, probably, embarrassed because this wasn't very cool.

She laced her fingers with his and held his hand quietly until they heard Stein opening the screen door.

* * *

Black*Star magnanimously called a truce between the girls and boys cabins when it was announced that they would be going to the lake without any counselors. No pranks, no arguing, just good, old fashioned swimming, picnics, and bonding between the two cabins, Black*Star promised. _No tricks, Maka_ , he swore.

"Scout's honor," he said with a grin.

"You were in the Boy Scouts for all of five minutes before you burned down an entire forest and they banned you for life," Maka quipped.

No doubt her friend thought this would be a prime chance to hook up with Tsubaki, who had been lowkey flirting with him for the past two summers. Maka swore over her dead body she would allow Black*Star to lay a lip on her good, pure, lovely friend who just so happened to have the _assets_ that Black*Star was so vocally fond of.

Gross.

Nothing had changed much between Soul and Maka since their encounter in the medical cabin, though Maka had caught him staring at her out of the corner of his eye on more than one occasion. Every time they caught each other's gaze, they smiled goofily and then looked away before anyone could catch them. He was just as shy as she was, if not even more so, and that made Maka think twice about her stance on the opposite sex. Soul wasn't one to brag about his conquests or openly objectify girl s- not like the other boys - and Maka knew she was smitten, disgustingly so.

Liz had talked her into a string bikini that she swore would "enhance" Maka's athletic figure and if you got it, why not flaunt it? All of the other girls were encouraging, begging Maka to show off her long legs and toned stomach because it was a crime not to. Not one of them had insulted her small breasts - and wouldn't stand for it if the boys did, either - so Maka found herself wearing the nearly scandalous two piece under a hooded sweatshirt that she had yet to remove.

Black*Star screamed a battle cry and cannonballed into the lake, effectively splashing Maka. She shook her fist at him and he dared her to come after him, grinning wickedly as he continued to splash her. She couldn't do that with a sweatshirt on, she thought, and unzipped it, mentally daring one of the boys to say something negative.

Nothing came. No jeers, no teasing, no insults. Kilik gave her a thumbs up on her choice of bikini print - blue with little musical note, a gift from her father's latest trampy girlfriend - but that was all. Maybe they really _could_ be civil, Maka thought.

 _Maybe._ She would reserve judgement for a later time.

Maka inched towards the edge of the lake when a bottle of sunblock, SPF 60+ to be more exact, nearly smacked her in the face. Soul lumbered behind her, long arms holding the bottle out to her, and she tilted her head to look back at him.

"Don't even think about going in that water without using this," he said. "You're going to burn."

She pretended to look unaffected by the lack of space between them- - mostly because Kim and Liz were staring at their little interaction from a few feet away, no doubt gossiping about why Soul cared so much about the status of Maka's skin - and took the bottle, nodding. "Right. Gotta protect against skin cancer. Good looking out. Thanks."

 _Good looking out,_ she said. She was the biggest loser, Maka thought as she rubbed the lotion on her skin, and so obvious.

"You should have asked him to rub lotion on your back," Liz whispered, wiggling her eyebrows. "And maybe other places."

Maka screeched and chucked the bottle at her. "Stop being gross!"

She jumped in the water to avoid both Liz's teasing and giving her the satisfaction of seeing Maka's full body blush. The water was cool against her skin and she only came up for air when it was absolutely necessary. It was nice, Maka had to admit, to spend time with all of her friends without worrying about Black*Star pranking her. It was calm and tranquil: the perfect summer day with the people she liked the most.

But Murphy's Law was a bitch and because things _could_ go wrong, they did. Very, very quickly.

Sometime between Liz's ribbing and the two dozen laps she did for fun, Maka's bikini top had gone MIA. She looked down at herself and gasped, throwing her arms around her chest and crouching down in the water. Maka's mind raced. The lake was huge and crawling with boys. She couldn't see her bikini top floating anywhere and there was no way she could ask for help. It was all just too mortifying.

Maka blinked back panicked tears - _she was strong, she would not cry_ \- and tried to figure out an escape route to get back to her clothes unseen. She could hear Black*Star arguing with Patti about camp's impending Color War and Kilik attempting to flirt with Liz by talking about some obscure jazz band. Kim, Jackie, Harvar, and Ox were lounging by their bags with no intentions of moving. It was impossible, Maka thought. She was just going to have to make the lake her new home because she could never leave.

"What's up?" a voice asked from behind her. "You've been standing in the same spot for ten minutes."

Maka crouched lower in the water, only her face visible to the intruder. Ah, yes. Of course it was Soul who had found her, because Murphy's Law just wouldn't leave her the hell alone. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

She weighed her options. She could trust Soul to help her or she could start having her mail sent to the lake. Maka steeled herself and decided to go with the lesser of two evils. "I sort of… fmmmmgh."

Soul raised an eyebrow. "What? I didn't catch that."

"I lost my… bmmmmfgh," Maka blew bubbles in the water, wishing there was such things as lake sharks to eat her and put her out of her misery.

"Wha?"

" _I lost my bikini top, okay?_!" Maka hissed. "I don't know how but I lost it. Poof. Gone. Finito!"

Soul's face immediately burned and he averted his eyes, as if afraid to accidentally catch a peek. Maka gave him a couple of points for being gentlemanly. "Okay, don't panic."

" _I am past panicking, I am losing my shit!_ "

He held his hands up calmly, promised to take care of it, and said he would be right back. " _Soul_! Where are you going?!" Maka immediately regretted her decision to trust him. What if he came back with the other boys to make fun of her? Or with a camera to take embarrassing photos for blackmail? God, she couldn't have topless photos of her floating around on the internet, that wouldn't look good on her college applications!

As Maka's mind played a reel of her failing to get into college, disappointing her mother, and eventually becoming the Little Matchstick Girl being forced to sell used matches on the streets during the cold of winter, Soul finally returned. Alone, Maka thought with some relief, and without a camera of any kind. He held out a black t-shirt to her - his t-shirt, she recalled, because it had some obscure pop culture reference on it - and turned away before she could say anything.

"Thanks." Maka tied the too long t-shirt at the waist and got out of the lake, signaling that Soul could turn back and look at her. His face was still flushed when he peered at her shyly, rubbing the back of his neck and mumbling an _it's cool_ under his breath.

Well, well, well, Maka thought with satisfaction. Black*Star could take all of his comments on her tiny boobs and violently choke on them because apparently Soul was a fan.

"You know, people are going to make fun of us for this," she gestured down at the borrowed t-shirt.

Soul shrugged. "Who cares? I don't."

"Good. Me either."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

It happened without much conscious thought or effort. One of them leaned a little too close to the other and suddenly they were kissing behind a patch of tall grass, blissfully hidden from the rest of their friends. It was probably not, Maka relented, the best kiss in history, since she tasted like lake water and melted suntan lotion, and neither of them were very skillful. After a bump of noses, clumsy positioning, and embarrassed laughter, Soul managed to kiss her softly, one shaky hand on her shoulder as if scared to put it somewhere it wasn't wanted.

Ah, Maka thought as he moved to kiss her cheek. So that's what all the fuss was about.

"Maka! Sooooooooul! Where are you?!"

They both turned when they heard Black*Star's obnoxiously loud voice calling for them and sighed simultaneously. "If we don't go out there, he's going to come looking for us," Soul said.

"True," Maka agreed. "We better go."

He paused. "Was that… uh. Okay?"

Maka nodded shyly and was treated to a rare, toothy smile from Soul. She surprised herself by wishing that they could hold hands back to their friends, but knew that they couldn't without risking merciless teasing and accusations of betrayal for fraternizing with the enemy. The borrowed t-shirt was already going to cause enough controversy; no doubt Black*Star would talk about it the entire way back to camp.

As they parted to join their cabins, their eyes met one last time and neither looked away.

Maka internally channeled a classic television commercial: _Help, I've fallen and I can't get up._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Pranks were all but forgotten in the face of DWMA Color War, arguably Black*Star's favorite summer event, because it gave him a legitimate reason to terrorize the entire camp. Every year, he and Maka ended up on different teams (possibly because Sid, who organized the event, was a masochist) and the score was now three wins each. Since this was the last summer they would be campers, Black*Star was especially hardcore about being the ultimate Color War champion, and Maka knew she had to bring her A game or else Black*Star would have bragging rights until the end of time.

Color War was brutal. Games were harder, puzzles more psychological, and campers wanted their pound of flesh. Maka had seen best friends and siblings turn on each other as soon as they were separated into different teams. From pie eating contests to competitive limbo to water polo, any and all camp activities had lost their fun and took on a competitive edge that only appealed to people like Black*Star and Maka and Patti. Others, like Soul, Liz, and Kim, tended to sit on the sidelines and let everyone else do the work while they listened to music and filed their nails.

After a particular tiring day of tug of war and canoe racing, Maka was six pages into "Wrapped Up In You" (which she was reading in the privacy of her blankets, because the cover featured a half naked man tying up an even more naked woman) when she heard rapping at her window. All of the other girls in her cabin were passed out, covered in paint and exhausted from Color War activities, and not one of them of them so much as stirred at the noise. For a few moments she ignored it, sure that it was one of Blair's boyfriends looking for a midnight booty call. But soon the rapping gave way to tiny pebbles and Maka threw her book down with a huff.

If it was Black*Star with some stupid prank, God help his soul for interrupting her "study time."

She opened the window and came face to face with a pajama clad Soul, who motioned for her to come outside. These sorts of things only happened in teen romance novels, Maka thought, and she should _not_ have been this excited to break the rules. They had already come dangerously close to being discovered at the lake and during Color War. It felt like the most unforgivable of betrayals to her fellow girls to be fraternizing with the enemy and Maka was drowning in guilt.

But.

Soul was also very cute in his pajamas and messy sleep hair and Maka's self control only stretched so far.

"It's past curfew," Maka hissed. "What are you doing?"

 _Just come outside,_ he mouthed. _Or are you too chicken?_

With a growl, Maka tucked her book under the mattress, stuffed some pillows under her blankets as insurance, and shimmied out the window before anyone could notice. She was a thrill seeker under normal circumstances- jumping off roofs into pools, skating down steep hills with no helmet- but rules also existed for a reason. Soul was clearly a very bad influence on her but she couldn't bring herself to dislike it.

Maka planted her hands on her hips. "So?"

"So?" Soul grinned. "Let's hang out."

" _This couldn't wait until normal hours?!_ "

Soul held his finger to his lips. "Shhh. You don't want anyone to hear us, do you?

Maka opened her mouth to whisper a lecture to him - something about responsibility and loyalty and Black*Star would have a freakin aneurysm if he knew what they were up to - but Soul tugged her hand and started leading away from the cabins. He didn't let go, not even when she followed him willingly, so Maka curled her fingers through his shyly. Soul gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and turned on his flashlight with his free hand, walking aimlessly through the camp. They were silent for a long while, both trying not to get caught and just enjoying each other's company.

"So. Did you ever find your bikini top?" Soul finally asked as they walked closer to the woods. He swiped furiously at a mosquito buzzing around his head.

"Shut up, shut up, shut _up_ , don't ever bring that up to me again," Maka growled and shook his hand off. "I hate you."

He grinned. "No you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

"You wouldn't _kiss_ someone you hated."

Maka squeaked indignantly - how dare he emphasize the word _kiss_ like that?! - and Soul quickly shushed her. "You just - shut your face right now, Soul Evans."

"Make me."

Oh, he was good, Maka thought as she leaned in to kiss him, she would give him that. Luring her into the woods for a moonlit stroll, challenging her, being adorable in his stupidly patterned boxers. This was everything her mother warned her against, and yet here she was, kissing a boy illicitly, like some modern Romeo and Juliet - except Maka would be damned if she ever killed herself over a stupid man.

"We really shouldn't," Maka said weakly between kisses, "someone's going to find out."

"Do you want to stop?" Soul paused, lips hovering over her cheek.

"I didn't say stop," Maka tugged his shirt, motioning for him to continue his exploration of her face with his mouth. "I'm just saying."

He laughed and kissed her jaw, threading his fingers through her hair and playing with a strand absently. "What _are_ you saying?"

"Shush, I don't even know," Maka closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist. She was definitely a willing accomplice in this; guilty as charged, through and through. "You're distracting me."

"Just admit you like me."

"No," Maka said stubbornly, even if she had tilted her head back to give him access to her neck.

"Maybe just a little?" Soul asked, trying not to sound hopeful.

"Mmmph. Maybe," she relented, distracted by the feeling of sharp teeth grazing the sensitive skin of her throat. "A little."

"I'll take it."

Maka did like him, liked him more than she had ever liked another boy, but it was much too scary to voice out loud. She would be the one getting hurt in the end when summer was over and they went their separate ways. Soul was going back to a life of privilege and (presumed) popularity; Maka was sure he would never have trouble finding another girl to date. The thought made her throat tight and stomach heavy, so she pushed it away in favor of making out with Soul in the woods and pretending that time wasn't a thing that they needed to be worried about.

At the sound of a tree branch snapping underfoot, Soul and Maka broke apart. Maka wiped at her mouth furiously and Soul gave her a look that said, _Really?_ There was a second of confusion and then two dark, shadowy figures approached slowly. For one crazy moment, Maka thought it was Cropsey, the serial killer with the hook hand, and immediately regretted that her last moments on Earth were in her pajamas, kissing a boy in the woods past curfew. Her mother was going to be so disappointed when this aired on the news.

Maka and Soul both screamed and the two figures shouted back, obviously caught off guard. Soul shone his flashlight as Maka grabbed on to his shirt, ready to run at any moment. There stood Sid and Mira, obviously out past curfew, and obviously looking for a spot of their own for some privacy.

"Alright," Sid finally said. "What's it going to take to make this go away?"

It was going to take Sid giving Soul the keys to his truck and letting Maka and Soul go off camp for a few hours for the teens to magically "forget" that they had seen their two counselors essentially sneaking off for a midnight grope session, Soul decided. Maka stood there, frozen and appalled that Soul had the gall to blackmail Sid, but impressed at his negotiating skills.

Sid threw his keys at Soul. "Tomorrow. You get an hour, you little shit. And you better not forget to bring me back an ice cream sandwich and some cigarettes."

"Deal," Soul threw the keys up in his hand and caught them. "Come on, Maka, I'll walk you back. Let's give these lovebirds some time alone."

The scathing look that Mira gave Soul could have killed lesser men, Maka thought, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of her neck. Maka couldn't even bring herself to look at Sid, who she knew was judging her so hard, and rightfully so.

"For the record," Maka whispered to Sid out of the side of her mouth, "I don't even _like_ him. Those were. Uh. Hate smooches."

"Really," Sid said mildly. "Is that a 'hate hickey', too?"

* * *

Although Maka didn't think it was particularly ethical to blackmail their counselor, she couldn't say she wasn't reaping the benefits of Soul's sneakiness. An ice cream date where they would be alone and not have to worry about Black*Star jumping out of the bushes was heavenly. Neither of them were particularly interested in public displays of affection, even with their newfound freedom, but hand holding under a table was perfectly reasonable and more than enough to get Maka's heart racing.

The more time she spent with Soul, the more she liked him. The more she liked him, the more she over thought and worried what would happen once she was home. He didn't seem as concerned- - why worry now when they still had weeks together? They only lived a few hours apart, Soul reasoned, and he had a car and a motorcycle (Ridiculous, Maka thought offhandedly, because why did he need both? _Rich boys_ ) and they could see each other on the weekends.

But _college_. College was an inevitable thing and there was no way they would be attending the same one. Soul would probably go off to some exclusive private university, a legacy, all paid for by his parents. Maka was going to have to have work three jobs, take out two loans and possibly sell an organ to pay for her top choice school. It made her wonder if she should invest in this relationship or just call it quits, part amicably, and try not to be too sad when they said their inevitable goodbyes.

Feelings were much more complex than right or wrong, black or white, Maka was learning. It was all so bittersweet and she decided that she would just enjoy what they had now but still steel herself for the end of the summer. The fallout was going to be messy but she would survive. She always did.

Maka lifted her spoon to quell the whining of Soul, who demanded a bite of her sundae, intending to shove it into his mouth a little harder than necessary. The spoon collided with his closed mouth and before Maka could ask what his problem was, she turned her head in the direction he was staring and found herself looking back at a smiling Tsubaki.

She immediately stood up and pushed the chair away from herself. "Tsubaki! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Marie asked me to get a few supplies for arts and crafts," Tsubaki said cheerfully. Of course, Maka thought. Tsubaki was the only one who could be trusted to go off campus and not get herself in trouble. "I noticed Sid's jeep outside and then I saw you two, so I thought I'd say hello!"

"Of course," Tsubaki said kindly. "I won't tell anyone you two are dating."

Maka's internal screaming transition into internal sobbing. "Tsubaki!"

"Am I wrong?"

"No," Soul said bluntly.

" _Soul_!"

"Well, she's not."

Tsubaki beamed at them like a proud parent, waving cheerfully as she left to continue her shopping. Maka put her head in her hands, groaning. "We're so screwed."

Soul took Maka's spoon and started helping himself to her ice cream. "Who cares? Worrying about stuff like that is so uncool."

"Oh, yeah?" Maka asked. "You think living with Black*Star is going to be _easy_ once he finds out that you're dating his pseudo-sister/good friend/rival?"

"... yeah, we're totally screwed."

* * *

Tsubaki had stayed true to her word and as camp wound down, no one had been any the wiser that Maka and Soul snuck out nearly every night to hang out. Black*Star was too busy mourning the loss of his team in Color War, screaming for a redo because clearly Maka had cheated and victory belonged to him. The final win was sweeter than any muffin or Kool Aid shower and she made sure to rub it in his face every chance she got.

"As long as I never admit defeat, it's not a loss!" Black*Star announced.

"No, you lost. Deal with it. Loooooser," Maka teased and he pulled her down into a tight headlock, refusing to let go until she punched him.

With Color War out of the way, the last camp event was the Camp Social, a very awkward dance where boys and girls usually stayed on their side of the mess hall and didn't interact until it was over. Maka loved the Camp Social because it was the last time she and the girls would bond before summer ended, but this year she was dreading it. It meant that her time was winding down with Soul and neither of them had clearly discussed what was going to happen to them, whatever they were, once camp was over.

Maka knew she had to make a decision, one that would hurt her, and she was terrified.

But Maka pushed through her fear, donned her cutest denim skirt, and put on a smile for her friends. This was their last summer together and she wasn't about to ruin it by crying over a stupid boy. Her mother had taught her better than that. Never let them see you cry; never show weakness.

"We need to talk," Soul grabbed her elbow just as Black*Star and Kilik broke out into rather impressive breakdancing, "right now."

She was not ready for this, Maka thought frantically, following Soul outside of the mess hall. Screw never showing fear, she was two seconds from wetting herself. Maka had steeled herself and practiced what she would say over and over in front of the bathroom mirror, but now that it was actually happening, she wanted to run far, far away and never look back.

Maka dug her heels into the ground before they could get outside. She had to say it now before she lost her nerve. _It's not you, it's me. Actually, it's a little bit you. But it's not because I dislike you. I really like you. Really, really, really -_ okay. She was starting to annoy herself with her inner monologue so it was time to face the music. "Look, Soul, I -"

"I heard a rumor that Black*Star is planning some _Super Awesome Godly Last Prank_ ," Soul interrupted. "We have to stop him. He's an idiot but I don't want him to go to jail."

"Wha-?"

The music stopped with a screech. Someone cleared their throat, loud and obnoxious. Maka and Soul gaped at each other in horror.

"FRIENDS, MINIONS, PEONS, LEND ME YOUR EARS!" Black*Star bellowed, standing on top of a table. Sid rubbed the bridge of his nose and muttered that he was so glad the summer was almost over. "I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT."

Maka gasped when Black*Star pointed right at her. Soul looked completely done with his friend but had his cellphone out just in case he had to call the fire department or bomb squad. "THESE TWO HAVE BEEN SNEAKING AROUND ALL SUMMER!"

"That's the prank?" Soul asked no one in particular. "I was worried about _this_? Lame."

Maka made a noise reminiscent of a dying animal as the campers murmured behind her. This was so embarrassing! No one was ever supposed to find out about them. Her friends were going to be so hurt. Betrayed, even! Her chances of staying close with them once camp was done had completely disintegrated.

"And water is wet, so what?" Liz asked. "We've known about that all summer."

"We knew about it before _they_ even knew about it," Kim said helpfully.

The boys in Soul's cabin nodded in agreement and Black*Star let out of a wail of anguish. "NOOO. WHAT? HOW DID EVERYONE KNOW BUT ME?!"

"Because you're an idiot!" at least three people chorused back.

Sid dragged Black*Star off of the table, Black*Star kicking and screaming the whole time, mourning his last prank. Maka and Soul withstood teasing from their friends, catching each other's eyes though noogies and friendly shoving. Soul blushed harder than Maka, if possible, and broke away to get some air outside, waving off shouts and catcalls and "friendly" advice on long distance Skype-sex.

Maka waited a respectable five minutes before following Soul outside because desperation was not cute.

It was a beautiful, clear night, moon high and crickets chirping. The smell of burning wood from the earlier bonfire lingered. Their friends were laughing and crying in the distance as they attempted to say goodbye. Maka and Soul just looked at each other for a while, silent, appreciative. He gave her a tiny, understanding smile as the last song of the night played from inside. It was slow, one that was old and corny and very 90s boyband-esque, but somehow it was perfect.

Soul held out his hand to her. "Let's end the summer on a high note."

Maka blinked but took his hand. "But you hate to dance?"

Soul understood her better than anyone ever had; he was not shaken when Maka broke down in tears, apologizing over and over again as they swayed to the music. He didn't question her or ask why. He only held her close, no empty words or promises.

"Since this is our last, I'll make an exception."

* * *

This was not _Grease_ and Maka was not Sandy, a preppy, proper girl pining away for a summer romance with a bad boy in a leather jacket on a Harley. _Summer Lovin'_ was a thing of the past, a memory that she could look back on fondly, a first love that was sweet and relatively drama free and something to build on in future relationships. As Maka busied herself with classes, she convinced herself she wasn't sad. It was a learning experience about boys but mostly herself. She was fine.

And yet.

Sometimes Maka found herself frozen in anticipation when a certain song came on the radio or she caught a whiff of sugary Kool Aid coming from the dining hall. She almost tackled a tall, blond sophomore wearing a leather jacket before she realized that this was not the person that she wanted to run towards.

She was not fine but she would be, Maka promised herself. Because this is what she wanted- they both wanted- and now she had to reap what she had sown. These were supposed to be the best years of her life and here she was, thinking about a guy who had probably moved on in the time they had been apart.

A year, two months, and six days, more specifically, but it wasn't like she was keeping count.

Maka tried to be social and meet new people. She went to parties (as the designated driver, of course), joined Student Government, and participated in nearly every club, protest, and activity on campus. It was exhausting but at least it kept her mind occupied. Boys asked her out and Maka politely rejected them because it wasn't fair to hold their hands while she thought of someone else.

A new school year had started and Maka lounged on the grass outside of her dorm, intent on getting a power nap before her next class. She fell asleep quickly, only to be rudely awoken by the feeling of something tickling her nose. Maka batted at it like a cranky cat and but it kept lightly touching her face. She growled and opened her eyes.

She must have been dreaming because it looked suspiciously like the string of a very familiar bikini top. A bikini top that was supposedly MIA, lost forever in the lake at DWMA Summer Camp. Maka craned her head back to get a better look at the person attached to the tan arm playing keep away with her long, lost top.

"Hey. Found this. Thought you might want it," Soul said, dropping it right on to her face.

Maka floundered for a reply. "You- - what -? How?" She sat up and stared at him. " _How did you find this?_ "

He shrugged. "Secret."

Okay, but more importantly: " _You came all this way to bring me my bikini top_?" Maka asked incredulously. "Soul."

"It's not really… 'all this way'," he admitted, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I kind of live nearby."

"Like _how_ nearby."

"Fifteen minutes, give or take."

Maka scrambled to her feet. She knew she looked a mess, clothes rumpled, grass in her hair, tired eyes. But here was Soul Evans in the flesh and she wanted answers. It had been a year since she last saw him and he looked good, Maka thought with disgust, so good. "You didn't really come here to give me my bikini top."

He had the nerve to smile at that and Maka wanted to simultaneously kiss him and kick his ass. "Good job, Sherlock."

" _Soul_."

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I'm nervous as fuck. I don't know. I'm not expecting anything from you or trying to pressure you but it's stupid how we can't even talk."

Maka crossed her arms over her chest. "You say you're not expecting anything but now you just - just show up here all of a sudden with my phantom bikini top. I'm going to expect things! I'm already expecting things. _How did you find that top_?"

"I told you it's a secret," he said gruffly. "But maybe expecting things is okay. Cool, even. Because if we both expect things, then…"

Maka looked closer at the bikini top as he rambled, shaking her head because Soul left the price tags on. So he hadn't searched an entire lake for her top. She would forgive him for buying her affection, just this once. "Then?"

"Augh, don't make me say it, I'm shit with words."

Maka snorted. "Yes, I can tell."

Soul shuffled nervously and Maka decided to throw him a bone. After all, he had spent God knows how long trying to find the exact same bikini as her old one to impress her. Besides, this meant a lot less pining and a lot more kissing. "Let's go for lunch. My treat, as thanks for the bikini top."

"Yeah?" he asked, reaching shyly for her hand.

"Yeah," Maka said, lacing her fingers with him. "And on the way back, we can visit Black*Star and mess with his shower again. I still haven't forgiven him for mishandling my underwear."

Soul laughed, voice filled with awe. "You are the most awesome girl I've ever met."

"And don't you ever forget it."


End file.
